Question

An Na ion has a charge of +1 and an O ion has a charge of –2. How many Na ions does one O ion need to balance charges

Answer 1

you would need 2
An Na ion has a charge of +1 and an O ion has a charge of –2. How many Na ions does one O ion need to balance charges?

Answer 2

Because Na⁺ ion lacks an electron and O²⁻ has two extra electrons extra, to balance the charge, we need 2 Na⁺ ions.

All ions, atoms and molecules want to get to the minimum energy state, and that state is when the ion, atom, or molecule is neutral, that's why all of them want to balance their charges.